Who Painted the Moon ßlack?
by Amaryllis D. Namikaze
Summary: Naruto was born dead. And the Kyuubi sealing doesn't go as smoothly as before. The Sandaime and a few ANBU were the only witnesses to the Yondaime's change – to a much younger Namikaze Mina. /ItaFem!Minato De-aged!Minato Male!Kushina
1. Childbirth

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. You'd know if I did.**

* * *

**Chapter One: Childbirth**

* * *

"_When I look up at the sky_

_The stars, see, are sparkling_

_Each giving off its own light_

_Like the people on this planet_

_Yeah, so I, too_

_Want to shine particularly bright_

_I close my eyes and make a vow in my heart_

_And entrust my dreams to that shooting stars_

…

_Looking up at the sky, there are countless stars_

_The same number now that there was years ago_

_My dreams are endlessly and crazy_

_Incredibly bright, like that star"_

Original Lyrics (Japanese): Home Made Kazoku

Translation: Don't know who (Yeah…)

* * *

Naruto was born dead.

As his eyelids were opened by the medic-nin to be checked, Mina cried at the bluest sapphires – at the pear-colored skin, at the sunny hair, at the pale (should be rosy) cheeks. From the baby, however, only silence.

How could it be? Mina had felt him in her only yesterday, only a week ago. Naruto had been kicking and Mina had been smiling, even though her back hurt like hell and she couldn't even feel her shins. Kiyoshi had been cheerful in the last month, red hair vibrating through their house. And now…

Now…

Mina was sure that she heard sobs and was also certain that they were her husband's. But the blonde couldn't make herself look at him or comfort him. How could she when her own heart was broken in tiny pieces? Was it even allowed to have their months-length happiness destroyed in a few minutes?

The medic was wrapping the – _dead, dead, dead_ – baby in a blanket and taking him away. Mina asked in a whispered voice to see him, but Biwako, the Sandaime's wife, promptly prohibited it, saying that it would do her no good. There wasn't anything too be seen, either way, with so many tears covering her entire face.

The blonde closed her eyes for a few moments.

"Mina, Mina, Mina," she heard Kiyoshi call from what seemed a faraway land. Her vision was blurred as she looked at her husband's incredible red hair. He was handsome. Naruto would have been this handsome, Mina was sure. Had he not died, that is. "Honey," he called once again, caressing her left cheek.

"Kiyoshi," the small woman managed to gasp. She was still lying down on the table used for the childbirth, which meant not many minutes had passed by. "Na… ruto, he…"

"I know."

And that was it. They didn't say anything for what felt hours, just holding each other hand.

The last months had been long. War had ended three years ago and Mina had been made the Hokage, the first woman to be in such position. Lots of ninjas had died and the economy wasn't at its best. Destroyed paths and more enemies made. All in all, Mina became the leader of Konoha in a difficult hour, but was doing okay. Iwa absolutely hated her, but she commanded Konohagakure, not Iwakagure – and the former's citizens _absolutely _loved her.

As the other countries were also affected by the war, Konoha was still the strongest nation out there – and was even stronger with Mina leading it to the top. She had finally married Kiyoshi as the war ended and they couldn't have been happier when, around eight or seven months ago, the medic told them that Mina was pregnant.

Kiyoshi was glowing so much during next week that someone might think that he was the pregnant one. Anyway, passed the bliss that was discovering a pregnancy, a problem emerged: enemies. As stated before, Mina had made lots and lots of enemies in the war, and they would be out for her and _her child's _blood when discovering this little fact. So, Jiraya, Kiyoshi and she worked together to create a seal that would hide her growing belly and baby.

It worked perfectly.

Until the baby was born dead.

Was it because of the seal or natural causes? Mina couldn't even begin to think of the former option without tears gathering in her eyes. Guilt would eat her away. And the seal was still painted over her skin, a little under her bellybutton.

"Honey, don't cry, shh, shh," she heard Kiyoshi once again. She wasn't crying – she _wasn't. _Or maybe she was. Maybe that's why her face felt so wet and her nose tickled so much.

Tears – _guilty tears, sad tears, shameful tears._

She had it all written over her cheeks.

And she sobbed for the fourth time this minute was when she also heard a voice that made her blood freeze.

"I humbly apologize for interrupting such a sad moment, but I must proceed with my plans."

It was a man, there was no doubt. His voice was deep and carried no pity as his words might suggest. Kiyoshi stood in front of her and, lying down tired as she was, Mina couldn't see exactly who was there. But the person was wearing a high-collared, black cloak with hand-covered-length sleeves.

"Who are you?"

Mina vaguely noticed the dead body of Biwako and the medic-nin. This meant that Naruto was on the floor. Naruto shouldn't be on the floor.

"Kiyo… shi," she gasped through her remaining tears, "Na-ru... to is…" But Mina couldn't finish it, as her throat hurt too much and she was feeling too tired. Childbirth had been incredibly exhausting.

Kiyoshi, however, wasn't paying attention to it, but to the intruder.

"_Who are you?_" The redhead jounin repeated.

The man was wearing an orange mask – otherwise Kiyoshi would have seen the smirk.

"You may or may not know me. I am alive yet I am not," was the only answer he got, before advancing. It happened so fast that Kiyoshi wasn't sure how it occurred: one minute he was handling a kunai in front of his wife, the other he was being sucked into a spiral and appearing in another place. The cloak-wearing man was in front of him and the redhead was held by ropes.

Mina was nowhere to be seen.

As for the blonde, she was still pathetically crying for her dead child on the floor.

* * *

It was Mina's father that saved her that day.

When she was eight, Mina's mother – Yuki – had been declared missing in action. The small child had lived the next two years alone when she finally graduated from the Academy and received Jiraya, the Sannin, as her sensei. The white-haired Sannin was an okay teacher, though perverted. Her teammates – Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuuga Hizashi – were silent and the team worked well.

The surprise came only two years later, when they were already chunnin and almost in war with other countries. Jiraya was her father. The man himself did not know. The fact only came up because blood tests were necessary for a transfusion (long story involving a mission and a fast-blood-losing Hizashi) and the correct blood type was necessary. In the end, there was no mistake.

Jiraya was her father.

To Mina's credit, she wasn't angry – she hardly ever was. She wasn't happy, either. It had been a shock after all. But the small, at the time, teen grew used to the idea. Jiraya wasn't "Father", "Dad" or any other variation – just sensei. He started caring and loving her more than anything in the world, and, in exchange, she loved him just as much. But Jiraya still wasn't her Father per se.

He hadn't been there when she was born, when she talked or walked for the first time, when she spent two years alone with no love. Mina forgave him for this – how could he know, in the end? – but did not forgive him for abandoning his mother. She had loved her mother with all her heart, but Yuki, apparently, had just been a one-night woman. And Mina was the result of this one night.

As for Jiraya, well, the man was as sane as a man could be upon discovering a teenager daughter. He never called her this; neither did he tell her that he loved her as much as a Father could love his child. But in his mind everything was perfect. Jiraya was used to live in disappointment – he _had _been a dead-last most of his childhood, after all – but not to this degree. So, when Mina said that she was pregnant, he found his chance.

His grandson or granddaughter would be born and this chance he'd not miss. He'd love this child with all his heart and spoil him endlessly. Jiraya was just finishing a mission through his spy web when he arrived at the cave where the child birth was happening. The Sandaime said that it was too risky to do it at Konoha, since enemies were aware of Mina's pregnancy and any scenario could emerge from this.

Jiraya agreed and almost ordered his daughter to do it in safe place.

Mina wasn't arguing against this, anyway.

There are no words to describe how surprised Jiraya was when he arrived at said cave and found three corpses and a crying Mina.

"Mina-chan?" Jiraya immediately came closer, caressing his daughter's wet cheeks.

She sobbed in response.

Looking around, Jiraya saw a blood in the ground from Biwako and the medic-nin. The smallest body in the room was the baby's one, but there was no blood. His corpse was in perfect conditions, if not unhealthily pale.

"Sen-sei," Mina choked between sobs. She was so pitiful right now that it was hard to believe this was the Yondaime Hokage.

"Mina-chan?"

"Naru… to, he… was… dead…" she murmured and sobbed three times, a long gap between one speaking and another. "Born dead…"

Naruto was born dead, Jiraya understood. This explained why she was crying so much, but didn't explain why there were two more dead people and Kiyoshi's missing presence.

"Mina-chan, where is your husbad?"

Jiraya wasn't sure if his daughter had heard until she answered in a whisper, "A man wea… ring a clo-ak… took him… I…"

Jiraya nodded and gathered her in his arms.

"Sensei…" She protested weakly.

"Silence, please. You are hurt and need treatment. Kiyoshi is a strong man and will be fine for a few minutes even against an unknown enemy. My priority is to take you somewhere safe."

"Naruto…"

"I'm sorry about him," Jiraya kissed the top of head, but Mina was already uncounscious.

He truly was sorry. Like the baby's parents, he had started loving the infant as soon as he heard the news. Now, he couldn't take the dead body, but would come back soon. He sent a toad summon to inform his own sensei of the problems and soon received a response that ANBU were sent to gather the corpses.

_Corpses_.

Mina's and Kiyoshi's house was in the old Uzumaki compound and had become beautiful after the former modified the building itself and the garden. Now, in the dark, at night time, it was only lonely, if not sad. Jiraya reached it in ten minutes of running and entered the house as if it were his.

The couple's room had a big bed and it was there that the white-haired Sannin deposited his daughter.

"There, Mina-chan, sleep," he murmured against her hair when he bended down to kiss it.

"Naru…to," she urged even in her sleep.

And that was when Jiraya looked out of the window and saw an enormous shadow far away in the night. At first, he couldn't distinguish and them a thick tail became nine and everything was clear.

The Kyuubi no Yoko was attacking their village.

* * *

When Mina woke up, she was alone on her bed.

For a moment, the blonde wondered if it was only a horrible dream when she noticed that her clothes were the same of the delivery's one. So it wasn't a nightmare. Naruto was truly dead. But where was Kiyoshi?

_Kiyoshi!_, Mina shouted in her head, intending to get up. A sharp pain from her abdomen made her think again. Gritting her teeth, the short woman got up anyway. Blood accumulated around the lower part of her hospital gown, though her tights were clean – Biwako had taken care of her. Biwako…

Mina walked to the closet and managed to gather her usual clothes without collapsing. Where was Jiraya-sensei? Mina was sure she hadn't dreamt his appearance in the cave. And where had the cloak-wearing man taken her husband?

Already dressed in common jounin attire and her own white cloak, the Hokage walked out of her house only to see Hell in the land. A huge shadow roared in the distance, destroying every tree in her path – and coming closer and closer to her beloved village.

Kyuubi no Yoko was set free – which meant that Kiyoshi was extremely weak somewhere.

To save her village or to save her loved?

In the end, she went to the Kyuubi. It was a bigger threat. And she had to take care of it. But there was no need to choose, because the demon fox was still closer to her beloved. Said person was lying on the ground pale as a ghost.

"Honey," he coughed blood and Mina felt like crying one again.

Damnit, she had lost her baby, she couldn't lose her husband too!

There was no cloak-wearing man around and the Kyuubi attacked the trees around them with no control of itself.

"Honey," Kiyoshi tried once again.

"Don't," she said in a stern voice. However, Mina herself wasn't in her best condition and could only do so much.

"I'll seal the Kyuubi inside myself again," all that was said between pauses and gasps of pain. Mina squeezed his hand with all her mighty.

"No. This will kill you."

But Mina knew that Kiyoshi was already aware of this fact anyway.

"I must."

"You _will not_," she stressed, "do this. I will."

"Let me help," the redhead protested. His dark blue eyes were so full of sadness that the blonde couldn't refuse him. Chakras chains emerged from the ground and held the terrible threat down.

Mina wasn't going to seal it back inside her husband. Though his chakra paths had grown used to the beast's power, his life force was barely there and wouldn't resist the impact of receiving the Bijuu back. No – she was going to seal it inside herself.

As she started the required hand-seals, the chakra chains disappeared and the beast roared once more. Mina looked down to see a limp Kiyoshi lying beside her. He couldn't manage even now.

He was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. _Dead._

Naruto and Kiyoshi. Both of them.

Mina knew she was going to die upon receiving such a big power without the modified chakra paths that grew with the Jinchuuriki. That's why using a child was much better – but there was no child. And no time to think.

Mina didn't take into account a seal already drawn in her abdomen – the one for her pregnancy. She wasn't thinking straight as she would in normal circumstances. The Shiki Fuuin wasn't completed as it normally would.

The beast was sealed inside herself – that could be seen by the newest addition to her belly: a seal forming from her bellybutton. And a little under this was the pregnancy seal innocently staying still.

The Sandaime and a few ANBU were the only witnesses to the Yondaime's change – to a much younger Namikaze Mina.


	2. Baby Days

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Baby Days**

* * *

When Mina woke up again, she was surprised.

The blonde honestly didn't expect _be able to_ wake up ever again, much less in such a comfortable place. She couldn't feel her body as well as she wanted, but it was better than nothing. Her eyelids felt heavy when she tried to open her eyes and look at the beige ceiling. There was a pillow under her head and a blanket around her, though Mina couldn't imagine why someone would bundle her up so tightly.

Suddenly, a face appeared above her. Mina opened her mouth when she realized that it was the Sandaime's, but no sound came out.

"Mina," he said, softly smiling, "it's good to see that you're awake. You slept for a long time."

Said person wanted to ask _how long_, however, once again, her throat felt dry. She tried to wriggle out of the blanket that held her. Her body was numb.

"Don't try to move too much," the old Hokage advised. "Your body is full of scratches and bruises. Jiraya spent the last days waiting for you to wake up with no rest, so I made him eat and sleep a little. You'll probably see him in a couple of hours."

And it was only when the Sandaime walked out of the room that Mina, still sleepy and yawning, noticed that her bed wasn't a bed, but a crib. She was too tired to protest.

* * *

Mina had been sleeping and waking up sporadically, never staying awake enough to question the reason why she was in a crib. When she finally managed to stay conscious to ask was only a few days later – though "asking" didn't exactly describe it.

Jiraya was sitting beside her, reading a book – though Mina couldn't say which one, as the letters were confusing. He dropped the book on the floor when he saw her blinking.

"Mina!" He cried in happiness.

_Jiraya-sensei_, Mina wanted to say. Why couldn't she say anything? It was as if her tongue had been tied. It felt as numb as her body. _Why _couldn't she feel her body?

"You sure slept a lot, huh?" The Sannin smiled at her. "Sensei and the medic aren't sure if you can understand us, but you were never conscious enough to test it. I'm not sure if I want you to comprehend me or not."

What was he talking about? _Of course _Mina could understand him – she wasn't stupid.

"Either way, you can't live alone anymore."

_Alone_.

She wanted to complain that she _could_ – there was no reason why she couldn't – but the words tangled in her throat. Alone – she was alone. Naruto was dead. Kiyoshi was dead. When she had performed the sealing, Mina hadn't counted on surviving. Her future plans revolved on dying. It didn't even made sense to be alive when her son and husband were not. Jiraya was her blood-related father, but Mina was sure that he would get over it. They didn't act like daughter and father, after all. Her friends would grieve, but forget – with time.

Mina should have died.

Kiyoshi had. Naruto had. Why hadn't she died?

Jiraya-sensei was still talking, but Mina couldn't understand him. Her chest was hurting _so damn much_. Her numb body was on fire and she couldn't move out of the flames. Mina whimpered. God, she wanted to scream, but only cries came out of her mouth.

_Kiyoshi! _

_Naruto!_

_Kiyoshi! _

_Naruto!_

_KIYOSHI!_

_NARUTO!_

Her insides appeared to scream with all their mighty. Her chest burned. Her eyes were wet. Why was she alive? Why were they dead?

"Shh," someone breathed in her ear. "Shh. Everything will be fine, I promise. Daddy is here, Mina… It'll be okay…"

Mina was so surprised that Jiraya – of all people – was cradling her in his arms that her wail stopped. He had called himself 'Daddy'. He had never done it before. When she was small – either be it before her Mom died, either be it after it – Mina had dreamed of having a father. When Jiraya came, years later, she never tried to call him Dad. She wasn't a legitimate daughter – only the daughter of a woman he slept with.

Suddenly, Mina felt incredibly tired. She closed her eyes and slept.

* * *

Although she was one of the smarter people in Konoha, Mina only realized why she couldn't speak weeks later. The blonde never spent more than a few minutes awake and the only ones she ever saw were the Sandaime, Jiraya and a medic-nin that she knew it was called Tsubasa. A few times she wondered where Kakashi was.

Her body had become frail after the sealing, still getting used to the Kyuubi chakra and her chakra paths having changed abruptly. Only when Mina finally achieved staying awake for an hour that she realized that said body was a baby's one. Hence why she couldn't speak or move as freely as desired.

Mina had been known for her patience and wisdom, so, it is no surprise that she didn't scream when the fact was taken into account. True it was because she was crying from the loss of her most beloved ones, but nevertheless, it was impressive to be so calm. Truly, Mina couldn't care less about being a baby again. She missed Kiyoshi and Naruto so damn much that being a baby didn't faze her.

She could feel the Kyuubi asleep inside her and its chakra. Jiraya checked her seal every day, but – from what she had heard him tell Sandaime one day – it was alright. _Of course it was_, Mina wanted to say at the time, _Kiyoshi and I designed it. _Her husband had been an incredible Seal Master. But no comment ever came from her mouth, only whimpers and cries.

At best, it was monotonous to be a baby – at worst, annoying.

Mina discovered – as who knows how many weeks passed – that her body reacted as a baby's would and she could do nothing about it. Jiraya and Hiruzen decided that she couldn't understand them after so many weeks of no action. Mina was surprised that Jiraya was both delighted and sad with the fact.

She was woken up a few minutes every day during her bath time with the medic and when Jiraya fed her with a bottle. As Mina ate, the man would babble about anything in his mind and appear to be having the time of his life. The blonde thought it was funny and weird at the same time, because she was an adult in a baby's body, but nobody was aware of this – much less her… father, who treated her as his daughter.

Mina wanted to cry every time she was awake – the now small one couldn't get used to the fact that her son and husband were dead – but Jiraya's happy face prevented her from wailing. She wasn't heartless enough to just cry, cry and cry, no matter how much it hurt. He was just so in peace while holding her close to his chest and babbling… It was a side of him that she had never seen, no matter how many years they spent together.

Months went by and soon enough she could sit with help. Her arms and legs didn't feel as numb as before and she could grab toys offered to her. The small blonde tried to calculate how many weeks had passed since the sealing, but her baby mind was soon bored with all thinking. _No more than six months, but no less than three_, her mind decided and focused on the bunny plush offered to her instead.

The hospital room where she was being hidden away soon enough became too boring. When she spent more time sleeping than observing around it was okay, but now there was nothing to do. The Sandaime _did _have to take of an entire village and the medic-nin _did _have other patients. Jiraya was the one that stayed the most with her, but there were times when he disappeared only to come back days later. Mina supposed he had missions for the village.

Her young mind was a bother most of time spent awake. She couldn't concentrate on what she usually could – and, though months had passed since her husband and child died, her body was too young to control her reactions of sadness. Thus, she cried all the time when alone. Mina wasn't the easiest baby to take care of, she knew, but couldn't help her needs.

"Don't cry, baby-chan," Jiraya said to her one day, smiling goofily. "It's a beautiful day, you know."

Mina wanted to say that she didn't know, of course, being stuck in here every week. She whimpered against her will and her arms moved in need of a hug.

"Daddy knows how annoyed you are. This room must be so boring for you, huh?" So he _did _know. Mina wanted to hit him over the head, but all she could do was cuddle against his chest as he brought her in his arms. "But Sarutobi-sensei said you still aren't old enough to go out. Silly, ne? Most babies spend their time outside with their mothers…" Jiraya's look was a sad one. "Though I suppose Yuki isn't here for you. Not anymore."

Mina was silent, observing her father with two huge blue orbs. She had never heard him talking about her mother.

"I was angry at your mother when I discovered about you being my daughter, did you know?" The man talked to her as if she could understand. Well, Mina _could_, but Jiraya didn't know that. "Yuki was a sweet woman when I met her and I couldn't imagine why she wouldn't tell me about you. I'm not angry anymore… it'd be stupid to be. I can't be annoyed with the dead, right? I hope you can forgive me someday. You know, for not being there for you like Yuki had been."

Mina blinked. She had never been _angry _at her father for not being there. Her rational mind told her that it was stupid of her to be, since he didn't know about her existence. Her emotional part of her mind, however, was a little bit hurt that he never searched for her or treated her like his daughter.

Jiraya kissed the top of her head, which was full of blonde baby-curls.

"You have her eyes and hair color. You look so much like her. When you smile… It's like I'm seeing Yuki again…"

Mina felt as if she couldn't breathe. Although Jiraya hadn't said it, the blonde knew that he still loved her. Her father's dark eyes were full of unshed tears and his voice was broken. Mina had been wrong all these years.

She had never called Jiraya her father. She had thought he wouldn't like it, simply because she was the daughter of woman he never loved. Mina had been wrong, oh-so-wrong. She could see it in his eyes: Jiraya had loved Yuki. Otherwise, he wouldn't be crying for her.

Mina raised her chubby hand.

"Ooh," she cooed, smiling. Jiraya blinked, confused. Mina spent most of her time as a baby sleeping or crying, and when she wasn't doing that, she never smiled. Mina wasn't happy with her husband and son's deaths. But she was willing to try just to make this fatherly sensei feel better.

Jiraya started smiling little by little.

"Aah," Mina cooed once again.

The man definitely laughed now, his eyes curving as his smile widened.

"Thank you for trying to cheer me up, Mina-chan."

"Ooh," was her response.

* * *

When Mina crawled for the first time, Jiraya and Hiruzen were discussing quietly not to disturb the baby. She cooed and clapped happily as a baby would while trying to get their attention.

"What is it, Mina-chan?" Hiruzen smiled softly at her, coming closer.

"Ooh," Mina replied. "Ooh aah! Baadaa!"

Jiraya's eyes appeared to jump out of their socks when his daughter started to crawl. She rolled over her pillow and crawled until the bars of her crib. He took her in his arms, delighted.

"She's a genius! Crawling at her sixth month of life!"

Hiruzen hid his smile.

"Actually, there are reports about some babies crawling at this age. And it isn't as if you already didn't know about her intelligence. She wasn't known as Konoha's Yellow Flash for being slow of mind and body."

Jiraya nodded, still cradling her to his chest.

"Ne, sensei, can I finally take her out here? Mina-chan is tired of being in this room all the time." As if to make his point, Jiraya turned his daughter face to his teacher, showing her big eyes. Mina tried to make puppy eyes to help in this cause.

Hiruzen was missing his pipe as he never smoked inside Mina's hospital room.

"Alright, you can take her out."

"_Yes!"_

"_But…-"_

_ "_I should've known it wouldn't be so simple," Jiraya deflated as Mina giggled.

"… with one condition. Even though she appears to be fine, I was talking with Tsubasa yesterday about her condition and Mina isn't as strong as she should be."

"But sensei," Jiraya whined childishly. Mina patted his cheek with a chubby hand. "She's crawling and everything – earlier than expected too! How can she _not _be fine?"

Hiruzen sighed, "I wasn't talking about her muscles, Jiraya. I meant her chakra paths."

Jiraya instantly became serious.

Mina tensed. She slept more than a normal baby would not only because of her experience of de-age_ment_, but also because of the seal. She was no Uzumaki with crazy chakra reserves and her Hokage pools of chakra could take her only so far. As Jiraya said, Mina should've known it wouldn't be so simple.

"You know as well as I do that when Mina created the Hiraishin no Jutsu that she trained hard. No human body could keep up with such a fast jutsu."

"I'm aware of this," the Sannin agreed. His daughter had trained like a maniac to strengthen her body just to be able to use the Hiraishin, which was useful, but also fatal if not careful.

"While her adult body developed and adapted to it, her chakra became more resisting and could – let's say – protect her of damage. You know all of this, I'm sure." Jiraya nodded in agreement, so the old Hokage continue. "However, her baby body isn't as strong as it should be because of this. Having her chakra paths modified by the sealing didn't help. Right now, if she tried to use her chakra, Mina would die of pain."

Jiraya's eyes widened.

"But what about later? Will she be able to mold chakra?"

Hiruzen was somber and Mina was already dreading the answer.

"Tsubasa and I aren't sure. The only thing we can do is hope. It would be a waste of talent if she can't use it. Mina is an intelligent girl and has the potential to be great once again. But for this, we must treat her carefully."

The Sannin kissed his daughter's head as it was his habit when worried about her.

"The citizens know nothing about her status as a Jinchuuriki. In fact, they know nothing her survival. They believe their Hokage is dead as well as the Kyuubi. We – Tsubasa, you and I – are the only ones aware of her existence. Don't go beyond this hospital walls, do you hear me? Until she's at least one year old and her chakra condition more stable, we can't take her far from here. A disaster could happen and we need to be near here."

Jiraya just cradled her closer.

Mina wanted to cry – and for the first time since she last saw Kiyoshi and Naruto, it wasn't because of their deaths.


End file.
